South Toledo man accused of shooting children did not complete evaluation

May 6—A South Toledo man accused of shooting his girlfriend's three children did not complete an initial court-ordered psychological evaluation and must be interviewed a second time, a Lucas County judge decided Thursday.

Kevin Moore, 27, who remained in the Lucas County jail in lieu of $5 million bond, was previously referred to undergo an evaluation at the Court Diagnostic and Treatment Center after he entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity to accusations he fatally shot his girlfriend's sons, Gabriel Phillips, 1, and Ahmir Phillips, 6, at the Byrneport Apartments in the 800 block of Byrneport Drive on Feb. 5.

Ashtan Phillips, 4, was also shot and injured, but he has since been released from a hospital, prosecutors said. Girlfriend Crystal Philips and a fourth child, Gracieana Phillips, 2, were unharmed.

The report was expected to be reviewed in court Thursday, but Moore did not cooperate with the interview required for an insanity-plea evaluation, Judge Eric Marks said.

The judge ordered Moore to be again interviewed so Dr. Gregory Forgac could provide the court with a decision regarding the defendant's mental state at the time of the offense, and told Moore his cooperation would be necessary.

Moore's next court appearance is scheduled for June 22 to review the doctor's findings.

A March 19 report from the Court Diagnostic and Treatment Center found Moore is competent to stand trial. But competency is an evaluation of a person's understanding of legal proceedings, not the state of mind at the time of an offense.

Besides the murder and attempted murder counts, Moore also faces two counts of felonious assault, both with firearm specifications, for allegedly shooting at the children's aunt and grandmother during the incident.

First Published May 6, 2021, 12:12pm